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Three women are smiling at the camera in front of a white building with teal trim and a black sign mounted above them. The woman in the center is closest to the lens, flanked by two others standing slightly behind her. All three have dark hair and bindis on their foreheads, and they are wearing patterned tops with scarves. Behind them, a low white wall topped with spikes runs across the width of the building, which has windows with dark shutters and a sloped roof section visible on the right.
  • 3 facilitators

Thursday 8 October 2026

Opening doors: first school outreach together

Facilitated by Anjali Krishnadas, Shabana K H and Aarthi Veerupillai

What the work needed: people, time, money, space and materials.
What went in
Printed brochure and digital copy.
Outside help
School headteacher gave their time to hear about the programmes and discuss opportunities.
Time
1 hour

What was done with those inputs, step by step.

Our team meetings showed a shared challenge: reaching children and young people who could benefit from the programmes at aikyam. We agreed to combine our networks and prepare a shared introduction to what we offer.

We put this into action and prepared a shared brochure introducing the programmes at aikyam. Each team wrote programme descriptions, and we brought them together in a brochure for the visits. We then made our first school visits together as the aikyam, Olimalar and Thudippu team. We visited two schools suggested by Shabana, using her knowledge of the local community.

We spoke with headteachers about opportunities for children to take part. One school already knew Olimalar through LifSkool. At the other school, youth festival preparations opened a conversation about possible dance support from Thudippu. We collected their contact numbers and shared printed and digital copies of the brochure.

When we returned to aikyam, we discussed the visits and how we could reach more children. Alongside welcoming families to aikyam, we explored finding spaces in schools and communities and training facilitators to run activities closer to where children live.

What the activity directly produced: sessions held, people reached, things made.
  • 1 Shared programme brochure
  • 2 School visits completed
  • 1 Follow-up discussion held

What changed for the people who took part, and what showed it.

Both schools expressed interest and agreed to share the programme information with parents and get back to us. One raised the possibility of dance support for its youth festival. The visits opened new conversations for follow-up.

(We observed it)

What the team will keep or change next time.

Our first outreach together helped us practise introducing the programmes as a team. Initial nerves eased, and we explained the offerings more confidently at the second school. Listening to teachers helped us connect the programmes with their interests.

With limited space at aikyam, reaching more children also means considering where activities happen and who can run them. We will explore school and community venues, facilitator training and follow-up with the schools.

MeetupsArt and cultureLivelihoodEducationOlimalar Foundationaikyam spaceThudippu Dance FoundationAnjali KrishnadasShabana K HAarthi Veerupillai

Run this activity yourself. You are free to copy, change and share this write-up, as long as you credit aikyam space. Photos are not included. (Creative Commons licence CC BY 4.0)